How to choose flooring for a high foot traffic area?

With wear, natural wood floors hold up better than laminate flooring, but some wood species and finishes are recommended over others.

Solid wood flooring: Choose hard wood species, like compressed Bamboo, Wenge, Cumaru, Kempas, Merbau, or even Maple. Oak is very popular and offers the advantage that it “ages well.” Smoked, oxidized, brushed, aged, or without a finish, it develops a patina over time and has a lovely authentic look. The technique of brushing, which consists in removing the soft parts of the wood, causes the surface to be quite resistant to bumps and scratches.

The protective finish is just as important as the wood species:

Varnished parquet flooring: although it holds up very well, the varnish will tend to scratch after several years. If it seems perfectly suitable for a house, it may be too delicate for commercial locations, like restaurants or shops. Renovation by sanding the entire surface will allow you to rediscover the original color and to apply a new protective layer.

Oiled parquet flooring: unlike varnish, oil becomes integrated with the timber. Scratches will thus be less visible, but oil does have the tendency to evaporate. However, a partial restoration is possible by regularly oiling the planks in high traffic areas.

Laminate flooring:Very resistant and easy to maintain, the latest generation of laminate flooring is resistant to any challenge. However, take care in choosing the best type for your needs:

Type 23: Domestic use. Significant use, heavy traffic locations.

Note: laminate flooring cannot be renovated, but it will last for several years, often guaranteed by the manufacturer.